Mark Wahlberg apologizes for saying he would've stopped 9/11 attacks if he was on plane

The Associated PressAt left, Mark Wahlberg is shown in July, 23, 2001, attending a special screening of "Planet of the Apes" in New York. At right, Wahlberg arrives at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, in Los Angeles.

With his latest movie "Contraband" at No. 1 in the box office, Mark Wahlberg's success as an action star may have gone to his head.

The model-rapper-turned-actor, formerly known as Marky Mark, told Men's Journal that he would have stopped the terrorists on 9/11 if he had been on one of the planes involved in the attacks.

"If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did," Wahlberg told the magazine. "There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.'"

According to Huffington Post, Wahlberg originally planned to fly out of Boston on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11th but flew to Toronto a week early. "We certainly would have tried to do something to fight," he said in 2006. "I've had probably over 50 dreams about it."

"To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible," he said. "I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive, it was certainly not my intention."

The actor, who has been twice nominated for an Oscar, has made a name for himself with his frequently action-packed films and cut physique. He told GQ last week that he did all the stunts himself for "Contraband" and that he "made it real" for all the boxing scenes in "The Fighter."

Still, Wahlberg has a soft side. According to Us Weekly, the 40-year-old star said his wife Rhea Durham picks flicks to watch on date nights ("as long as it isn't a Sarah Jessica Parker movie") and admitted that he cried "about six or seven times" while watching "The Help."